Elk Grove Unified cancels football season for 2 schools days before first game

ELK GROVE – Valley High School students and parents learned just a day before high school football season gameplay started that their season was canceled.

Elk Grove Unified School District (EGUSD) cited low participation as the reason behind the cancelation, but students and parents are telling CBS13 it might be due to something else.

"Our season was wrongfully taken from us," said Cory Browning who is a senior football player at Valley High.

He joined other students on Friday in a walkout during school to protest EGUSD's decision to shut down the football season.

"It doesn't just impact the football players it impacts the cheerleaders, ASB, the band, link crew," said Cali Lloyd who is a junior cheerleader at Valley High.

Lloyd won't be on the sidelines like she was last year to cheer on classmates like Browning during his senior season.

"Me, personally disgusted also because as a part of cheerleading it's costly, it's been over $500 to participate in the program," said Joanne Jauregui whose granddaughter is a cheerleader at Valley High.

The Valley High principal sent out a letter just a day before the start of high school game play claiming the season cancelation is because of low participation.

"The numbers just aren't adding up for low participation," Lloyd said.

CBS13 checked on Maxpreps, an online source for high school sports, where it shows a 45-person roster for this year, but the district says Valley High had 14 players.

"We have schools in the past in the San Joaquin section compete with 17, 18 players on the team," said Assistant Commissioner of CIF Sac-San Joaquin Section Will DeBoard.

DeBoard said it is the school district's decision to pull the plug on playing.

"Rumors have flowed all throughout the high school about the incident with the fight and the coach," Jauregui said.

Elk Grove Unified could not confirm a fight between teammates over the summer, but it did confirm the head coach was released due to a personnel matter resulting from an investigation and that none of the other coaches could commit for the entire season.

"They don't want to put in the work to find a new head coach. There's just a lot of excuses," Lloyd said.

EGUSD said it will be hiring a new head coach for Valley High, but it didn't say for this season since it's been canceled due to low participation.

CIF rules state that students can transfer to another school without penalty. Lloyd told CBS13 that at least five players were transferring to other schools in the district.

Elk Grove Unified also confirmed with CBS13 the cancelation of the varsity football season for Florin High School due to low turnout with a roster of 16 players.

Florin High School will only have a JV football team. Seniors will be offered the same transfer opportunity and juniors will be able to play on the JV team.

"No homecoming game, no senior night, none of that," Browning said. "Just cut off."